Muslims in NYC Planning to Build Second Mosque Near Ground Zero (1 Viewer)

[MongoL3]

CNN poll finds 68 percent of Americans oppose this....doesn't the left get tired of throwing around racism charges and blaming FoxNews on every issue. The left arguments are like a broken record.

Poll results like this happen when people are thoroughly misinformed.

It is interesting that the number drops as you get closer to NYC too. How much of this should be left in the hands of NYC? Would people care what the rest of the country thinks if you were debating something like this in your hometown?

I dont think it matters how people vote anymore, we can just let a muslim judge decide on this.....

Good god, man.

Seriously, if the situation was reversed, or something like this was going on in your town would you care much about what people in Georgia or Seattle have to say about it?

Sure, its still my country we all should have a voice....

 

[MongoL3]

This thread is gold. I love you peens.

He pushes the bigotry just far enough to look like your typical hick but not quite far enough to get hit with the ban hammer. Very impressive.

Its years of walking the fine line. Still not sure how being opposed to NYC building a mosque at ground zero paints me a bigot. I guess i should just agree with everyone all the time and not have any opinions at all

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sure, its still my country we all should have a voice....

I asked how much you would care, not if they have a right to voice their opinion.

 

[jamny]

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time. There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.Why did he choose this location?

 

[Smack Tripper]

This thread is gold. I love you peens.

He pushes the bigotry just far enough to look like your typical hick but not quite far enough to get hit with the ban hammer. Very impressive.

Its years of walking the fine line. Still not sure how being opposed to NYC building a mosque at ground zero paints me a bigot. I guess i should just agree with everyone all the time and not have any opinions at all

For the milllionth time, its not at, or really even near Ground Zero if you can relate to actualy NYC geography.You are swallowing spoon-fed media, because its not like these people are calling it the "Ground Zero Mosque"As for why they chose this space, I don't know, but having been in it, its much better served as an assembly space or specific use space than a retail space, because there is zero foottraffic to this thing, its basically, somehow, surrounded by dead ends and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

 

[KarmaPolice]

This thread is gold. I love you peens.

He pushes the bigotry just far enough to look like your typical hick but not quite far enough to get hit with the ban hammer. Very impressive.

Its years of walking the fine line. Still not sure how being opposed to NYC building a mosque at ground zero paints me a bigot. I guess i should just agree with everyone all the time and not have any opinions at all

It's not the opposition to the mosque, it's the using 'they' constantly, suggesting that all Muslims feel this way or are hateful people, etc..

 

[jamny]

Yes, thanks. Stat already linked her opinion piece from a Toronto newspaper.

Always love to hear from the conservative muslims living in Cananda.

Do these peoples opinion count?

Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy Zuhdi Jasser reacted to the prospect: “For us, a mosque was always a place to pray, to be together on holidays-not a way to make an ostentatious architectural statement. Ground zero shouldn’t be about promoting Islam. It’s the place where war was declared on us Americans.”

Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, asserted, “Building a 15-story Islamic center at ground zero isn’t something a Sufi (spiritually wise Muslim) would do. Sufism is supposed to be based on sensitivity toward others,” as opposed to the imposition of a Muslim mosque in an area where Americans were attacked by radical Muslims, a prospect that Schwartz calls “grossly insensitive”.

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

More on Zuhdi

For his part, Schwartz created the Center for Islamic Pluralism. It's not like some long-standing organization.

Congrats, Jamny.

I don't think Maddow could have found two less credible sources.

any opinion not like your own has no credibility....classic.

 

[the moops]

Why did he choose this location?

Dont know, and dont really care either.

 

[jamny]

Asra Q. Nomani

Heard her on the radio this morning on my drive to work. Intresting and seems she is well versed / educated. Apparently a co-worker/friend of Daniel Pearl. Actually rented him the home he was kidnapped from and as we all know later murdered.

Briefly her take is there is already a mosque 5 blks from ground zero espousing jihad against america....

Unfortuanetly now the focus is on this one being proposed/built.

More from her The Mosque in Morgantown

Edit to add: Have not read the entire thread, sorry if Honda.

Someone will come along and discredit her soon enough.

 

[KarmaPolice]

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time.

There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.

Why did he choose this location?

Sure it does, I think people are just get unnerved when the protests seem to be focused on a certain group of people or religion.

and nobody can claim to know why he wants to build this where he does. It would be ignorant to say otherwise.

 

[pantagrapher]

Why did he choose this location?

Dont know, and dont really care either.

They probably chose it so they can do their terrorist plotting close to an inspirational place. Kind of like how Thoreau had Walden.

 

[urbanhack]

I'm hearing an awful lot of hate on talk radio.

big surprise.

Yes I do believe MSNBC is very hateful and lies at every turn, thank God very few but the far left maniacs listen to them.,

MSNBC is talk radio?

 

[Smack Tripper]

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time. There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.Why did he choose this location?

I just answered this, but have you spent time down here jamny?This place should have been, would have been, and I'd guess WAS a warehouse once upon a time. Its a big, blocky space, no windows, antiquated fixtures and only a ham and egger retail outlet like Burlington Coat Factory would be there. But they like many others have failed, because NO ONE WALKS THERE. And once again, there is next to no vehicular traffic, because there is a single one way to access this street where its located, so there's no threat of vehicular traffic. I suppose it could be event space, but the building looks like hell and there is no light and its at the mouth of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. It really is a no mans land. Thats what galls me about this press coverage, because if the Mosque were opened there with no fanfare, NO ONE would have known about it. Other retail in Manhattan is beholden to ground floor space boosting the residential above. These real estate guys take losses all the time, through years of a bad economy as a write off, thinking and knowing if they get the right client in there, it will be a boon for them. No one is going to tie it up with a church or a mosque or anything of the sort. It would hurt the residential. This Burlington Coat factory space is such a dead zone, some sort of civic gathering is probably the best use for it.I'm not saying that should be a mosque but I'm not saying it shouldn't be either. Have we heard from the lease holder on this matter? In this free market, is he not allowed to rent to who he wants to rent to?

 

[pantagrapher]

Asra Q. Nomani

Heard her on the radio this morning on my drive to work. Intresting and seems she is well versed / educated. Apparently a co-worker/friend of Daniel Pearl. Actually rented him the home he was kidnapped from and as we all know later murdered.

Briefly her take is there is already a mosque 5 blks from ground zero espousing jihad against america....

Unfortuanetly now the focus is on this one being proposed/built.

More from her The Mosque in Morgantown

Edit to add: Have not read the entire thread, sorry if Honda.

Someone will come along and discredit her soon enough.

It's not about "discrediting" anyone; It's about understanding why they have the opinions they do.

 

[Christo]

Jon Stewart's take

link

That had me laughing like hell and weeping for my country at the same time.

Cult? Koran burning ceremony? Saudi Arabia isn't putting up any churches? And a couple of these people are high up in our government.

A good portion of this country runs on fear. Fear of pretty much everything. Americans, in general, are afraid of their own shadow.

Nice strawman.

 

[jamny]

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time. There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.Why did he choose this location?

In this free market, is he not allowed to rent to who he wants to rent to?

He's allowed to rent to whoever he wants, the imam is allowed to build wherever he wants and I don't want the government getting involved to block it. I suspect they knew this would draw attention but not to this level. I think it was a poor choice on their part to choose this location. It shows a lack of sensitivity and just leads me to question their motives.

 

[Smack Tripper]

With so much retail space available in NYC, why do you suppose they chose this spot to build a mosque?

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time. There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.Why did he choose this location?

In this free market, is he not allowed to rent to who he wants to rent to?

He's allowed to rent to whoever he wants, the imam is allowed to build wherever he wants and I don't want the government getting involved to block it. I suspect they knew this would draw attention but not to this level. I think it was a poor choice on their part to choose this location. It shows a lack of sensitivity and just leads me to question their motives.

I parachute'd into this story, I haven't followed it, because, frankly it doesn't matter to me. Reading stuff in this thread makes me much more inclined to support their project though. Where did this "story" come from? Was it a local politician making hay? Was it the Muslims putting out a press release about it? I'm going to gurantee you it wasn't "local opposition", because locally, very few people know one building to the next whats going on inside of the buildings.

 

[jamny]

Did you watch the Daily Show clip?It doesn't matter if the mosque is built elsewhere in NY, or in Wisconsin, or in California. People protest mosques being built anywhere.

People protest everything being built in their neighborhoods, it happens all the time. There was a protest about the 7/11 being built in my neigborhood years ago because it is across the street from a school and people thought it would be too dangerous with the traffic and thought too many kids would be hanging around the store at night. Some complained about the Chase bank being built right now since they thought the neighborhood needed something else. People complained that a hockey rink was built in the local park and not a dog park, etc. etc. etc...... That doesn't answer the question. I guarantee you there are other mosques being built right now in NYC that aren't getting the press that this one is.Why did he choose this location?

In this free market, is he not allowed to rent to who he wants to rent to?

He's allowed to rent to whoever he wants, the imam is allowed to build wherever he wants and I don't want the government getting involved to block it. I suspect they knew this would draw attention but not to this level. I think it was a poor choice on their part to choose this location. It shows a lack of sensitivity and just leads me to question their motives.

I parachute'd into this story, I haven't followed it, because, frankly it doesn't matter to me. Reading stuff in this thread makes me much more inclined to support their project though. Where did this "story" come from? Was it a local politician making hay? Was it the Muslims putting out a press release about it? I'm going to gurantee you it wasn't "local opposition", because locally, very few people know one building to the next whats going on inside of the buildings.

I asked that as well earlier in the thread when the controversy was blamed on "red staters"

 

[Smack Tripper]

Where did this "story" come from? Was it a local politician making hay? Was it the Muslims putting out a press release about it? I'm going to gurantee you it wasn't "local opposition", because locally, very few people know one building to the next whats going on inside of the buildings.

I asked that as well earlier in the thread when the controversy was blamed on "red staters"

Well, I'm sure they are the ones keeping it going, but if this whole thing started with a press release from the Cultural center, then it being an "activist" selection takes a lot more steam. I think thats actually important in cases like this(news stories that aren't hard news)

 

[BobbyLayne]

Congrats, Jamny.

I don't think Maddow could have found two less credible sources.

any opinion not like your own has no credibility....classic.

Zundl is a hack.

Zuhdi Jasser, a favorite ‘expert’ on Fox News, is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant who cloaks himself in the mantle of faithfulness to Islam while at the same time virulently attacking mainstream Islamic principles, Muslim scholars and rights groups.

He is part of a burgeoning industry that sees some truly amazing and quite frankly twilight zone-ish alignments and affiliations. In this alignment one can view Ultra-Zionists, Neo-Conservative war mongers, racists, Christian Dominionist’s of the Jesus Camp variety, so called ‘ex-Muslims’ and ’ex-terrorists’ all working for the cause of delegitimizing Muslims and pushing a right wing agenda.

Zuhdi Jasser has chosen to align himself with these radicals and demagogues. He admits that he “is not an expert in Koranic Arabic, or Sharia” but he has no problem in casting aside the legacy of fourteen hundred years of Muslim scholarly work and striving that brought about principles in interpretation of primary texts and in effect makes the claim that any Muslim can interpret the Koran as they wish. While Islam permits and promotes personal reflection, it warns against the kind of anarchy Zuhdi is favoring. Unscholarly whimsical interpretation is exactly what Bin Laden and his ilk have done with the Koran.

This is not the most insidious aspect to Zuhdi’s project. Take a closer look at who he works for and you will see the reality of what he is propagating. In the winter 2008 volume of Middle East Quarterly, he contributes an article entitled “Exposing the Flying Imam’s” about the case of 6 Imams who were taken off a plane and detained for hours because of the discomfort felt by some passengers who saw them praying.

What is the Middle East Quarterly? Well suffice it to say that it is founded by “Daniel Pipes and edited by Michael Rubin.“ Daniel Pipes, probably the most famous Islamophobe has been quoted saying such gems as, “Western European societies are unprepared for the massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and maintaining different standards of hygiene….All immigrants bring exotic customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than most.,” and “In its long history of immigration, the United States has never encountered so violence-prone and radicalized a community as the Muslims who have arrived since 1965.”

The list of racist and anti-Muslim quotes can run into the hundreds and it is no hidden secret that Daniel Pipes agenda is strictly communitarian and partisan, as he says, “I worry very much from the Jewish point of view that the presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims…will present true dangers to American Jews.”(emphasis mine) This is the sort of paranoia and suspicion that drives every waking moment for Daniel Pipes, yet this is the ‘democrat’ that Zuhdi the ‘defender of Islam’ and Muslims works with and supports.

But for someone like you, jamny, I think he's the perfect source, because he matches your own level of credibility. You live in a town that is on the furthest edge of NYC, with a demographic of 250 people of color out of 35,000...yet you would like everyone to believe you live in cosmopolitan 'Gotham'. You ask what you think is a rhetorical question about no other mosque being built in NYC right now is generating controversy. Maybe if you didn't live in a suburb that has NO rail service into the city you would realize there are similar controversy in both Brooklyn and Staten Island (for different reasons, but the local opposition if fierce....the only difference is Palin/Gringrich aren't punting those political footballs around).

You have as much cred posting in this thread as an Okie from Muskogee, because the level connection you have with FiDi and Tribeca is about the same. Earlier you tried to make the claim the opposition came not from red staters but local groups and 9/11 victims families. I don't doubt the latter, those people relentless in opposing anything that detracts from their precious memorial. But local groups? Link that, pal. It got through the local Community Board long before Sarah, Newt et al, got involved.

 

[jamny]

But for someone like you, jamny, I think he's the perfect source, because he matches your own level of credibility. You live in a town that is on the furthest edge of NYC, with a demographic of 250 people of color out of 35,000...yet you would like everyone to believe you live in cosmopolitan 'Gotham'. You ask what you think is a rhetorical question about no other mosque being built in NYC right now is generating controversy. Maybe if you didn't live in a suburb that has NO rail service into the city you would realize there are similar controversy in both Brooklyn and Staten Island (for different reasons, but the local opposition if fierce....the only difference is Palin/Gringrich aren't punting those political footballs around). You have as much cred posting in this thread as an Okie from Muskogee, because the level connection you have with FiDi and Tribeca is about the same. Earlier you tried to make the claim the opposition came not from red staters but local groups and 9/11 victims families. I don't doubt the latter, those people relentless in opposing anything that detracts from their precious memorial. But local groups? Link that, pal. It got through the local Community Board long before Sarah, Newt et al, got involved.

WTF are you talking about? What do you know about where I live? Furthest edges of NYC? I can, and have, walked into Manhattan from my house. No rail service? I can walk 10 minutes in two different directions and be on a different subway into the city. Where exactly do you think I live? Queens is considered one of the most culturally diverse neigborhoods in the world. Not sure where you got the 250 people of color stat.edit to add: just did a quick check and my neighborhood, Maspeth is around 20% Hispanic and 10% Asian. That might be a little more than 250. And I never said "red staters" haven't run with this story, I was just wondering where the controversy began. And I never said no other mosque is generating controversy, I said I'm sure there are others that aren't.

 

[MongoL3]

This thread is gold. I love you peens.

He pushes the bigotry just far enough to look like your typical hick but not quite far enough to get hit with the ban hammer. Very impressive.

We all have our niche, I play the hick well. Give me props....

 

[BobbyLayne]

Maspeth latest census:

Ethnic Makeup of Maspeth, Ny 11378

Total Population: 33909

White: 27845 (82.1%)

Black: 220

Asian: 1975

Pacific Islander: 24

Native American: 75

Two or More: 915

Other: 2855

Subsequent estimates don't reflect a significant change. Them's Levittown numbers, pard (or red state-like, if you prefer).As for train service, please...

Maspeth Transportation:

Maspeth has no subway lines of its own, but shares the M terminus on its southeast boundary with Middle Village at Metropolitan Avenue.

The QM 24 and 24W Express buses stop on Eliot Avenue before going to Manhattan.

The comparative lack of mass transit has helped keep real estate and especially rental prices a value.

The LIE (Long Island Expressway) runs through Maspeth. A proposed train tunnel terminus for western Maspeth would add to the truck traffic that clogs up Grand Avenue.

Well there you go - the good ole QM24 bus. Sounds pretty convenient.ETA: Sorry, jamny...I owe you an apology. I just checked HopStop and Google maps, and you're only 9.28 miles

from the Met, which at a brisk pace could be walked in 2 hours 59 mins.

 

[jamny]

Maspeth latest census:

Ethnic Makeup of Maspeth, Ny 11378

Total Population: 33909

White: 27845 (82.1%)

Black: 220

Asian: 1975

Pacific Islander: 24

Native American: 75

Two or More: 915

Other: 2855

Subsequent estimates don't reflect a significant change. Them's Levittown numbers, pard (or red state-like, if you prefer).As for train service, please...

Maspeth Transportation:

Maspeth has no subway lines of its own, but shares the M terminus on its southeast boundary with Middle Village at Metropolitan Avenue.

The QM 24 and 24W Express buses stop on Eliot Avenue before going to Manhattan.

The comparative lack of mass transit has helped keep real estate and especially rental prices a value.

The LIE (Long Island Expressway) runs through Maspeth. A proposed train tunnel terminus for western Maspeth would add to the truck traffic that clogs up Grand Avenue.

Well there you go - the good ole QM24 bus. Sounds pretty convenient.

I thought "people of color" was considered anyone that is non-white. Sorry not enough black people live in Maspeth for your liking. I've seen more recent numbers that white is around 70%. I live one block off the border of another town, a few blocks off another town. Look up numbers for Elmhurst, Woodside or Greenpoint. I can't believe I'm defending where I live. Stop going by wikipedia and maybe see the neighborhood for yourself.

 

[jamny]

ETA: Sorry, jamny...I owe you an apology. I just checked HopStop and Google maps, and you're only 9.28 milesfrom the Met, which at a brisk pace could be walked in 2 hours 59 mins.

I'm 4 miles from the Williamsburg or 59th St. Bridge. Hardly the furthest edge of NYC. First exit out of the Midtown Tunnel.What a stupid hijack of a thread.

 

[Josie Maran]

Jon Stewart's take

link

That S.O.B. almost made me get in an accident today (nearly rear ended a cabbie dropping off). As some of you may know, his studio is on 11th Ave (52nd St); around the corner is another well-known establishment. I cruising SB on 11th tonight, and there is a building size billboard of Jon Stewart, with these words:

Larry Flint's Hustler Club? Down one block, hang a right.

 

[jamny]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

Obama made the comments at an annual dinner in the White House State Dining Room celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be part of a $100 million Islamic center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.

It was already much more than that, sparking debate around the country as top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition. So did the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group.

Obama elevated it to a presidential issue Friday without equivocation.

While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed "hallowed ground," Obama said that the proper way to honor it was to apply American values.

"Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us — and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today," he said.

Obama harkened back to earlier times when the building of synagogues or Catholic churches also met with opposition. "But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it," he said. "So it must be and will be today."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who has been a strong supporter of the mosque, welcomed Obama's words as a "clarion defense of the freedom of religion."

But some Republicans were quick to pounce.

"President Obama is wrong," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero. While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque they are abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so much."

Entering the highly charged election-year debate, Obama surely knew that his words would not only make headlines but be heard by Muslims worldwide. The president has made it a point to reach out to the global Muslim community, and the over 100 guests at Friday's dinner included ambassadors and officials from numerous Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Seated around candlelit tables, they listened closely as Obama spoke, then stood and applauded when the president finished his remarks.

While his pronouncement concerning the mosque might find favor in the Muslim world, Obama's stance runs counter to the opinions of the majority of Americans, according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved. A number of Democratic politicians have shied away from the controversy.

The group behind the $100 million project, the Cordoba Initiative, describes it as a Muslim-themed community center. Early plans call not only for prayer space but for a swimming pool, culinary school, art studios and other features. Developers envision it as a hub for interfaith interaction, as well as a place for Muslims to bridge some of their faith's own schisms.

Opponents, including some Sept. 11 victims' relatives, see the prospect of a mosque so near the destroyed trade center as an insult to the memory of those killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks. Some of the Sept. 11 victims' relatives, however, are in favor.

The mosque has won approval from local planning boards but faces legal challenges, and New York's Conservative Party is planning a television ad campaign to pressure a New York City utility to use its power to block the project.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

Obama made the comments at an annual dinner in the White House State Dining Room celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be part of a $100 million Islamic center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.

It was already much more than that, sparking debate around the country as top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition. So did the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group.

Obama elevated it to a presidential issue Friday without equivocation.

While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed "hallowed ground," Obama said that the proper way to honor it was to apply American values.

"Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us — and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today," he said.

Obama harkened back to earlier times when the building of synagogues or Catholic churches also met with opposition. "But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it," he said. "So it must be and will be today."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who has been a strong supporter of the mosque, welcomed Obama's words as a "clarion defense of the freedom of religion."

But some Republicans were quick to pounce.

"President Obama is wrong," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero. While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque they are abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so much."

Entering the highly charged election-year debate, Obama surely knew that his words would not only make headlines but be heard by Muslims worldwide. The president has made it a point to reach out to the global Muslim community, and the over 100 guests at Friday's dinner included ambassadors and officials from numerous Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Seated around candlelit tables, they listened closely as Obama spoke, then stood and applauded when the president finished his remarks.

While his pronouncement concerning the mosque might find favor in the Muslim world, Obama's stance runs counter to the opinions of the majority of Americans, according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved. A number of Democratic politicians have shied away from the controversy.

The group behind the $100 million project, the Cordoba Initiative, describes it as a Muslim-themed community center. Early plans call not only for prayer space but for a swimming pool, culinary school, art studios and other features. Developers envision it as a hub for interfaith interaction, as well as a place for Muslims to bridge some of their faith's own schisms.

Opponents, including some Sept. 11 victims' relatives, see the prospect of a mosque so near the destroyed trade center as an insult to the memory of those killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks. Some of the Sept. 11 victims' relatives, however, are in favor.

The mosque has won approval from local planning boards but faces legal challenges, and New York's Conservative Party is planning a television ad campaign to pressure a New York City utility to use its power to block the project.

Of course he forcefully endorsed it....wouldnt do it any other way...

 

[jon_mx]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

mmmm, notice how he did not say a US citizen, just a citizen. very telling. Of course he is a citizen.....of NIGERIA!

 

[BobbyLayne]

That S.O.B. almost made me get in an accident today (nearly rear ended a cabbie dropping off). As some of you may know, his studio is on 11th Ave (52nd St); around the corner is another well-known establishment. I cruising SB on 11th tonight, and there is a building size billboard of Jon Stewart, with these words:

Larry Flint's Hustler Club? Down one block, hang a right.

courtesy of Flickr

 

[timschochet]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

mmmm, notice how he did not say a US citizen, just a citizen. very telling. Of course he is a citizen.....of NIGERIA!

Nigeria? But I thought...

 

[BobbyLayne]

mmmm, notice how he did not say a US citizen, just a citizen. very telling. Of course he is a citizen.....of NIGERIA!

Nigeria? But I thought...

Hey, what's 5,000 kilometers between friends?

 

[Statorama]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

 

[BobbyLayne]

now on Twitter!

 

[Josie Maran]

It's about friggin' time.

 

[Parrothead]

Wait, I thought this was a local issue?

 

[greenroom]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

mmmm, notice how he did not say a US citizen, just a citizen. very telling. Of course he is a citizen.....of NIGERIA!

Wow give it up already. Obama is a US Citizen or he would not be the President of the United States. Do you honestly think that Obama could pull that big of a scam over the whole election process, and that no one has leaked anything if he was able to do it? You don't think Clinton or McCain who had people digging up dirt would of found it out?

 

[Da Guru]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

 

[jon_mx]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

mmmm, notice how he did not say a US citizen, just a citizen. very telling. Of course he is a citizen.....of NIGERIA!

Wow give it up already. Obama is a US Citizen or he would not be the President of the United States. Do you honestly think that Obama could pull that big of a scam over the whole election process, and that no one has leaked anything if he was able to do it? You don't think Clinton or McCain who had people digging up dirt would of found it out?

I was making a joke, but Obama has proved it is possible. Obama's actual birth certificate is still under wraps.

 

[cr8f]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

 

[MongoL3]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

How many mosques do we need to build that will sufficiently kiss his rearend? I dont know too many people arguing how they dont have a legal right to build the mosque there. I just think if there intentions were to close gaps between Islam and the west they would be more sensitive and build it somewhere else. Ofcourse thats asking them to be "sensitive", im sure that will go over well with them.

 

[badmojo1006]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

OK, then can Sarah Palin, Newt Grinrich and all of FOX news #### regarding this?

 

[ScottyFargo]

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

 

[squistion]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

Which is, of course, the only reason you are talking about it.

 

[MongoL3]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

OK, then can Sarah Palin, Newt Grinrich and all of FOX news #### regarding this?

Yes, the news channel will obviously shut up about it since its only "news"

 

[jon_mx]

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

OK, then can Sarah Palin, Newt Grinrich and all of FOX news #### regarding this?

For one they are pundits. For two, about 70% of Americans agree with them. So yeah, politically Obama was dumb to weigh in. Just further showing his tin-ear to America and re-enforcing his weakness towards fighting terrorism. The Obama White House does not have one conservative bone in its body and it is hurting him in the polls.

 

[Christo]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

Say what? Since when should a president lower himself to get into a war of words with a news organization?

 

[Parrothead]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

Say what? Since when should a president lower himself to get into a war of words with a news organization?

it is pretty obvious, between the Shirley Sherrod incident and now this, that the administration is terrified of Fox News, and I find that hilarious

 

[jon_mx]

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

Well, at least Obama is addressing the important things. :eyeroll:

Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one. This is a local zoning issue.

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.

What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship.

Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.

As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

Say what? Since when should a president lower himself to get into a war of words with a news organization?

Considering he uses the state of the union to attack Sarah Palin, why not? This president has cheapened the office so much.

 

[tommyGunZ]

And he said as much earlier. Maybe he's trying to get the right wing to go completely nuts.What he said though was any religion has a right to build a house of worship. Bin Laden said we would have a war on Islam, we should prove him wrong by letting all religions build houses of worship.As for bolded part Fox is going nuts on this(big surprise) so he is answering them.

Say what? Since when should a president lower himself to get into a war of words with a news organization?

Your characterization of Obama's belief that the 1st Amendment controls here is that it's a war of words with a news organization?